The invention generally concerns a photographic camera and particularly a miniature camera having a focusable objective lens.
In cameras of this type, the range setting device is arranged directly on the objective tube in the form of a rotating ring. This setting ring carries a range scale whereby the range number desired must be made to coincide with a marking stationarily arranged on the objective tube, in order to set the range desired. To set the range, the user of the camera is thus always forced to remove the camera from his eye and to set the range on the objective tube. This is extremely disadvantageous, because the observation of the object must be interrupted, when it is desired for example to continuously adjust the range to a moving object. Such a camera is poorly adapted for use in taking snapshots, because its handling is rather cumbersome. The modern requirements of a snapshot camera demamd as a minimum that an indication of range be provided in the viewfinder so that the necessary distance may be set and verified in the viewfinder without taking the camera from the eye, thus interrupting the observation of the object. The indication of a range set on the objective of the camera in a range indicating device in the viewfinder is, technically, extremely involved in a camera with an objective tube which slides in and out and thus is highly subject to problems, and as a result such a device has not been provided.
Another disadvantage of this known camera consists of the fact that the handling of the camera during the setting of the range is not of optimum ease. The diameter of the objective in such cameras having an objective tube capable of sliding in and out is mostly very small so that on the one hand the range scale is arranged in a highly crowded manner, which renders it difficult to read and on the other, the relatively small range setting annulus offers no easy grip that would facilitate handling.